Geeking Out About Comics

Yes, I’m even talking to you, the ones who aren’t quite sure if you’re geeks or not. Trust me, if you’re here, reading this, then you’re a sprockin’ geek.

That goes double if you recognize the use of the word sprockin.

As you probably know by now, this week is Speak Out With Your Geek Out week. Throughout the week, here at GeekDad, we’ve been speaking on the geeky activities which feel our lives with meaning and make us smile.

Before it’s over, I wanted to throw my favorite hobby into the fire. So, getting started, let me ask you something: Do you enjoy comics? Bleed comics? Hunger for comics?

If your reply is something along the lines of “Well, I’ve read a couple, after I watched Ironman, and they were actually pretty good.” Guess what…You’re on your way. And it’s perfectly fine. Trust me here. You’re in good company. You see, I’m a comic nut, myself; I’ve been reading them for nearly two decades. I’ve read thousands and currently own over 6,000. Yes, that’s crazy. Yes, that’s obsession. Yet, there are plenty of others ‘worse’ off than I.

Now, allow me to talk to you for a second about passion – obsession’s much comelier cousin. You’ve never heard anyone knock passion, right? So, let’s just call my hobby a passionate one. Let me tell you just how far a passionate geek can go.

Currently, I have several irons in the fire. The one you see before you is a favorite of mine. I have been contributing to GeekDad for a few months, and already I have had the privilege of interviewing several of my favorite writers and artists with even more in the pipeline. Thanks to GeekDad, I have gotten exposure to a lot of behind the scenes goings-on in the comic book world. I have also gained valuable journalistic insight and real-world experience.

I have also, thanks to my obsess…er…that is to say…my passion, landed two stories to be published in upcoming comic book anthologies from Incubator Press and Viper Comics. I’m working on a follow-up script, right now. It might not be much, but thanks to my geeky background, I’m going to receive my 15 Minutes, by golly. And even if it never amounts to anything, I promise you it sure helps me deal with the mundane of the 9 to 5 world.

On a tangent, my geeky reading habits led me to apply for a position as a slushpile reader with Dark Quest Books. I have been reading horror, science fiction and fantasy for them for over a year, and I love it. The next step with Dark Quest, recently took me to doing paid PR work with them. In fact, I have just gotten started with a couple of their wonderful authors, Keith R.A. Decandido and Kevin Breaux. Through my partnership with them, I am learning a lot about the dos and don’ts of publishing my own novel, as well.

Could I have ever made it here without being a geek? I don’t know. Possibly from other avenues. That’s only a fraction of the point.

While being a geek used to have negative connotations. In school, I only confessed to being either a fanboy or a Trekkie when confronted and/or coerced. But today, it’s not like that, really. Was it just we geeks that boosted the sales for movies such as Iron Man, Dark Knight or Transformers in recent years? Well, that’s actually a trick question, because the answer is pretty much: “Yes, it was we geeks.” The only difference is that geeks now come in an unlimited combination of flavors.

Walk the mall, watch TV, drive down the interstate and look at the decals on truck windows. Check out the necklaces, tattoos, and cell phone cases. You’ll see the emblems for Spiderman, Superman, Batman, and, now more than ever, Green Lantern.

So, what was the point to all of this? It’s fine to play in your geeky sandbox. We by far have the most fun building our castles. And despite your doubts, no one will come and dash yours – even if it is built in the likeness of the Fortress of Solitude.